Estella Warren was born on December 23, 1978. Things have worked out pretty well ever since. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a gal with a more exciting life than Estella Warren. She’s not the kind of model who was discovered while just walking around a mall. Estella actually got her start by working her way into the international spotlight as an Olympian. The stunning Canadian gal was the country’s national champion in synchronized swimming back in 1995. She competed in the 1996 Summer Olympic, and went on to two additional stints as Canada’s national champion. (Speaking of champs, you might also want to check out our tribute to Lindsey Vonn.)

So it’s no surprise that the world of modeling came calling. Estella broke out quickly, and was still a rising star when she landed on the cover of the Italian edition of Vogue. Her various high-profile gigs included a turn in Sports Illustrated (naturally enough), and Victoria’s Secret, too. Estella spent the ’90s working all kinds of major projects, and went into the new millennium asMaxim‘s Hottest Woman.

Estella then had to keep pushing herself, so she made a bid for Hollywood stardom. Some minor roles landed her a proper showcase in the 2001 Tim Burton remake of Planet of the Apes, and Estella has stayed busy on the big and small screens. Nobody really minded when she was arrested in May of 2011 over some drunken antics, since she resisted arrest like a boss and even managed to slip her cuffs. Yeah, it’s not easy to handcuff a supermodel.

We like to think that Estella was doing some kind of community service when she showed up nude and in 3D on the cover of World’s Most Beautiful magazine this year. Now let’s celebrate this beauty’s 35th birthday with 35 hot pics that’ll send you into another dimension…